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After Decluttering

May 01, 2017
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by Sophie Davies

Tie Up Loose Ends

After decluttering there may still be some items (maybe even some bags full) of belongings lingering at the back of cupboards and in hidden spots of your home. Tying up the loose ends by removing these items for good is the first step after decluttering.

Sell Unwanted Items

If some of the items you want to get rid of are worth something, make a little money by selling them. You could use this money to kickstart a savings account, donate it to charity, or invest in something you have been missing and could benefit from. The general rule is not to bother trying to sell anything less than £10 (unless you’re doing a boot fair/yard sale) - it’s often not worth the hassle and time it takes to photograph, write copy, and list online.

· If you want a quick reliable sale use eBay
· If you have a lot of branded clothing try Poshmark
· If you have clothing and don’t mind haggling use Depop
· If you have a lot of clothing try ASOS Marketplace

Tackle Sentimental Belongings

Sentimental items are a huge sticking point for a lot of people. Having emotional attachments to specific belongings that remind you of a moment in time or a person can be very difficult to part with. If you own sentimental belongings you no longer want but are having difficulty parting with, now is the time to deal with them once and for all. If they are items with family sentimentality ask other members of the family whether they would like them; specifically items such as photographs or belongings owned by passed loved ones. Give people the chance to claim the items if they should want them. Otherwise, the best method to deal with sentimental items is to photograph them. They preserve the physical item and serve as a reminder without taking up space in our lives. Objects are only the physical representations of our memories, they are not the memories themselves and letting them go does not mean letting go of the memory.

Change Old Habits

Old habits die hard but changing them is essential if you want to prevent the clutter from creeping back in. In order to maintain a clutter-free home, put the effort into forming new habits that will help maintain the home life you want to keep.

Adopt These Minimalist Mantras

Mantras provide guidance in our decision making when we’re seeking help with a specific intention. They can play a huge role in helping us to make decisions that encourage, support, and affirm our beliefs and the way in which we wish to live our lives. Changing old habits can be tricky and there are a lot of influences which can cause us to struggle with staying on the path towards a simpler way of living. Adopting mantras can reduce stress and anxiety surrounding decision making. These 3 minimalist mantras are a good place to start.

Invest In Self-Care

Self-care helps us to break habits, change unhealthy patterns, and eliminate negative influences; it’s about deliberate and intentional decisions made to improve our mental and physical health. Neglecting self-care can often be the source and reason why we end up with cluttered homes in the first place. Investing time into adopting self-care habits will have a permanent effect on our long term health. Adopting these 5 self-care habits is a good place to start.

Enjoy Your Home!

You don’t have to do anything after decluttering simply enjoy your home for what it is. Now you have more space, mentally and physically, to breathe a little easier with less clutter weighing you down; appreciate what you own and be content with what you have.

Being Slow At Home

Enjoying your home in its freshly decluttered state is the perfect time to embrace the slow home movement, a philosophy revolving around 12 guiding principles which place the homeowner and their environment at the centre in order to provide long term benefits. Creating a slow home is about curating a space that works for us, suits our lifestyle, and contains only what we need, value, and brings us joy. Adopting these principles can help us maintain a clutter-free home and improve our environment in ways that benefit our wellbeing. Here’s how the slow home movement can benefit you after decluttering.